A Strange Alchemy

When Jan breaks her leg in a skiing accident, it seems the perfect opportunity to spend some time at her aunt's lovely Norfolk retreat, working on the book she has always wanted to write about the birth and growth of feminism. It is an experience that will change her life. As part of her research, Jan interviews women who served in the Home Front and Women's Services during World War Two, and becomes absorbed in listening to their tales of courage and commitment. From the beautiful socialite who abandoned her privileged lifestyle to become a Landgirl, to the women who adopted traditionally male - and often perilous - roles to help the war effort, Jan is struck by their enduring pride in the part they played in Hitler's defeat, and the fierce loyalty they still feel towards those who shared their experiences. As she hears her subjects' poignant memories and becomes increasingly involved in the rural lifestyle around her, Jan begins to reconsider her own notion of commitment, and question her most cherished values.

A Strange Alchemy ~ a Story of Today & Yesterday
Sheila Geddes
ISBN 1 900796 34 1 306pp pb UK £9.99
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Truckers North Truckers South

A heart warming story of the hardships, joys and camaraderie of a lorry-driver's life from the 1940s to the 1970s. Narrated by the irrepressible Shay, who starts his career as a naive young trailer-boy and ends by driving his own HGVs, it captures all the warmth and humour that characterises these indomitable, hard-working men.

Truckers North Truckers South
Leslie Purdon

ISBN 1 900796 52 X UK £7.99
1204pp pb b/w Photos
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Love at all Risks

Confessions of an insurance ombudsman? Surely they can't match the eye-opening disclosures of the window-cleaner or the milkman? Don't you believe it. Love at all Risks is the story of Ollie, the pedantic ombudsman with an eye for the ladies whose caseload routinely involves fraud, blackmail and violence. In and out of the office, staffed by some decidedly eccentric characters, boozy lunches, scandal-mongering and lesbianism are all in a day's work. But top of Ollie's hectic agenda is the passionate, adulterous affair that develops unsteadily between him and his stunning assistant, Lot the hotshot solicitor. A hilariously farcical exposé of the machinations of an unscrupulous insurance company, Love at all Risks is based on actual cases that have current legal significance. For readers, insurance will never seem quite so reassuring or humdrum again.

Love at all Risks
Julian Farrand
ISBN 1 900796 39 2 pp251 pb UK £5.99
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The Claw
In a pretty corner of rural Bedfordshire, Andrew Steele and his wife Clare have settled down to a quiet, contented retirement. True, a little more money in the bank would not go amiss, as it would buy them their dream cottage in the country, but life is still good, if uneventful. That is, until an imposing visitor from the past turns up on their doorstep, seeking a favour and promising wildly extravagant rewards. Simon Kapendi, ambassador of the Central African country of Malvania, is a man with political ambitions, and Andrew, an ex-game warden there, can help fulfill them. In his possession is a seemingly trifling souvenir from Malvania - a lion's claw - which may make the difference between the country's peaceful transition to democracy or descent into a brutal dictatorship.

A fascinating tale of political intrigue and the realisation of dreams, great and small. Based on a true story

The Claw
Robert T.W. Swan
ISBN 1 900796 93 7 178pp pb UK £5.99
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Operation Grouse - A Political Thriller
Kidnapping is always a difficult crime to solve, but when the British Prime Minister receives a ransom note before the abduction of Alison, Countess of Westminster, he is doubly baffled. Is the note a hoax? And if not, can the police outwit the kidnapper before he - or she - strikes?

When the crime turns out to be all too real, and brilliantly executed, it becomes clear that the criminal is both a genius and a madman. Inspector John 'Mac' Macdonald, no fool himself, is put on the case and, aided by his gifted young wife and a crack team of loyal, highly skilled officers, he is soon onto the kidnapper's identity.

Infuriated by Mac's interference, and driven by a very personal grudge, the kidnapper brings forward the ransom deadline, knowing it will be virtually impossible to meet. Facing an adversary bent on revenge as well as riches, can Mac and his team beat the clock and save the Countess from a truly hideous fate?

Operation Grouse ~ A Political Thriller
Robert FHC Turner
ISBN 1 900796 04 X 310pp pb UK £7.99
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Return to '66

'Moaner' Sharp is twelve years old and going through a rebellious phase. And why shouldn't he? His mother is forever busy with her open learning courses, his dad has withdrawn into a world of his own and as for his older sister Flinty, she's obsessed with becoming a famous actress. Only the dog Kelly seems to understand him. When Matthew's attempts to run away from home end in failure and he is banished to the garage to do a clear-out, an old football covered in faded signatures looks like just one more piece of junk. But it is actually the passport to an incredible adventure during which Matthew meets his 'dead' grandfather and finds himself plunged into one of the most exciting periods of English history - the 1966 World Cup Final against West Germany.

Return to '66
Bob Cox
ISBN 1 900796 53 8 pp100 pb UK £4.99
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Mister Fear

The terror began when stuffy but kind hearted David Mortimer resolved to kill the corrupt and powerful Nick Mercer. However killing Mercer proved to be much harder than he thought and David found himself drawn into the decadent world of Mercer's sybaritic friends and his housekeeper from hell - Mrs Wycherly, a Voodoo Priestess. What follows becomes a nightmarish voyage of discovery in which the rules of life and death are challenged and just because someone is completely incinerated down to ashes, it does not mean they are dead. But the culmination of David's terrifying ordeals came when he met the thing from the 19th century that still lived...

Mister Fear
Alan Cork
ISBN 1 900796 08 2 226pp pb UK £5.99
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Desires of Innocence

When the body of Jane Downing is found in her apartment - pregnant, beautifully laid-out with a red rose in her hands - a bizarre note suggests that her killer was in love with her.

Chief inspector Jennifer Lawson is assigned to the case, and her friend Carol Johnston, a would be forensic scientist, takes a keen interest in what proves to be an increasingly baffling murder mystery.

A fast-paced tale of deceit, lust and murder, DESIRES of innocence is a gripping novel which will disturb as it entertains.

DESIRES of Innocence
Mary Tibble
ISBN 1 900796 46 5 UK££5.99
290pp pb
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Tears After Dark

Based on a true story, Tears After Dark is the account of a young boy growing up within a family torn apart by alcohol and drugs. Throughout the sixties and seventies Terry Steer struggles to survive in a harsh, cruel world - from the social depravity in the Gorbols in Glasgow to abuse and neglect in England. It is a world of insecurity, poverty and violence hinged on secrets and deception. A world from which there appears to be no escape.

Tears After Dark
Sally Ann Whiteside
ISBN 1 900796 71 6 - 147pp pb UK £5.95
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